City of Yakima Could Potentially Ban Panhandling at More Intersections

The City of Yakima has already made several changes when it comes to aggressive panhandling and there could be more on the way.

YAKIMA, WA - The City of Yakima has already made several changes when it comes to aggressive panhandling and there could be more on the way.

Jimmy Cowles said he lost his job and from there it got worse. He lost his home next and all his belongings. That's why you might see him panhandling near the Walmart in Terrace Heights.

"I want to find a job," said Cowles. "This is the lowest thing I've ever had to do in my life, and I would rather work than ask anybody for anything."

Cowles panhandles at one of the intersections that's not considered a high traffic area. Last August, the City of Yakima's Public Safety Committee voted to criminalize aggressive begging and ban taking items from cars at 15 major intersections to include 40th Avenue and Summitview and South First Street and Nob Hill Boulevard.

Now the city is proposing to expand that ordinance to include the top 20 intersections with the highest traffic volume.

"They're a distraction," said Tom Hagerman. "So we get enough distractions as it is, so that'd be a good thing."

"The intersection of 40th Avenue and Fruitvale Boulevard would be added to the list. The city said a little more than 30,200 cars pass through everyday."

Some people said they think it's good idea to clear more intersections of panhandlers.

"I would say it's a good thing because the people that are panhandling on the street here right now, they're not for real," said Hagerman. "They're doing heroin, things I've heard."

But Cowles said those are just a few cases. Many panhandlers, like himself, are just down and out of their luck. Cowles said he doesn't think he's bothering anyone or making the roads more dangerous.

"When they hand you money, that's the goodness of their heart," said Cowles. "If they don't want to do it that's fine. I'm not forcing anybody to do anything."

The potential expansion of the panhandling ordinance will be put before city council during their regular business meeting on Tuesday, May 20th.

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LOOKOUT PASS - Investigators with Montana Highway Patrol say a pilot was flying an experimental aircraft and trying to go over Lookout Pass when he reportedly hit a downdraft and the plane's engine gave out. Troopers say the pilot aimed for the only thing he could think of which was the highway. He landed hard in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 90.

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HOOD RIVER, Ore. - A Vancouver, Washington teenager who admitted to throwing fireworks in Eagle Creek Canyon last summer, causing a major wildfire in the Columbia River Gorge, has been ordered to pay nearly $37 million in restitution. It's unlikely the boy, whose identity has not been released by authorities, will ever cover the entire $37 million.

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KALISPELL, Mont. (AP) - Searchers have recovered the body of a northwestern Montana physician who went missing while backcountry skiing in February. Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry says the body of 62-year-old Jonathan Torgerson of Columbia Falls was recovered Saturday in an avalanche runout zone on the north side of Whitefish Mountain.

This Sunday will mark two weeks since Paul Batson, an Illinois man, went missing. He was making a detour through Montana when he disappeared near Reed Point. Work to find Batson continues this weekend.

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FRANKLIN COUNTY, Wash. - The Franklin County Sheriff's Office says they are looking for a missing person at Palouse Falls. Details are extremely limited at this time, but reports are a person fell into the water and has not resurfaced. We, along with our sister station, KNDU, are working to confirm additional information. Check back for updates. Last month, a Spokane man died while swimming at the falls, and last year another man slipped and fell to his death.

Toys R Us says it won't hire as many holiday season employees as it did last year, but the toy and baby products retailer says it will give current employees and seasonal workers a chance to work more hours.

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SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. - Starting Tuesday, shoppers can find new, deep discounts at Toys R Us. The retailer is preparing to shut down its operations at more than 700 locations nationwide and the stores have slashed prices ranging from 30 to 50-percent off as part of its store closing event.

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Hasbro is offering parents a new option for getting rid of their child's unwanted toys: Recycling. The toy company is launching a new recycling program that encourages parents to send back any "well-loved" toy or game that they will be recycled and used to build play spaces, flower pots, and park benches.

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MOSES LAKE, Wash. - A Puyallup man and woman suspected of passing fake $100 bills across multiple states were arrested in Moses Lake Monday night. Moses Lake Police posted photos of the two suspects on Monday after a man used two fake $100 bills at a Safeway, and a short time later a woman used a fake $100 bill at Rite Aide.